Keisuke Rikimaru
Keisuke Rikimaru (力丸恵輔,' 'Rikimaru Keisuke) is a shinobi of Konohagakure. A master of genjutsu, he regularly defaults to illusory techniques rather than frontal assaults, claiming to be a pacifist first and foremost despite his attitude during battle. He often preaches the benefits of non-violent confrontations to his team, although more often than not he is ignored in favour of action. Keisuke is a Naruto original character who belongs to kanceir (Nea) on Deviantart. Appearance preview artwork drawn by Nea. (Page and story info under heavy construction and revision.) Background Originally born in Sunagakure, Keisuke was raised and trained in preparation for the Third Shinobi World War, which would result in the deaths of both of his parents. Having shown an acute affinity for genjutsu, Keisuke was enrolled in rigorous and, at times, brutal training to hone his skills so that they could be used practically and offensively despite the passive nature of genjutsu. Keisuke eventually came to possess powerful jutsu such as the Sarcophagus of Anubis and Curse Sealing: Mummy Tomb. He grew to be both feared and revered by his fellow shinobi, although fear inevitably won out and the village desired for Keisuke's power to be harnessed under total control of the village so as to eliminate any chance of treachery. A member of Keisuke's unit during the war, Atsuya Inoue, whom he had come to regard as a close friend, was assigned the task of reverting Keisuke's own genjutsu on him in order to, essentially, brainwash him into complete obedience. Oblivious to the ulterior motives, yet feeling betrayed by his friend, Keisuke fell into a rage that released the Eye of Ra Seal on his left hand, which allowed him to perform a forbidden technique that had been sealed within him at birth as a precaution for the war. Unveiling the truth of a forgotten past in which Keisuke was a test subject of the Third Kazekage in an attempt to replicate the powers of Shukaku, Keisuke awakened the portion of tailed beast chakra that temporarily enabled him to activate a chakra cloak that quickly evolved into a brief appearance of the second stage. Keisuke, still a mere child, wreaked havoc on Sunagakure's enemies, wiping out many in a single blow. However, since he could not maintain this form for long and quickly depleted Shukaku's chakra, Keisuke fainted shortly thereafter and retains no memory of the event. After that battle, Keisuke was taken prisoner by Konohagakure shinobi and was brought in for interrogation. Claiming to know nothing of what happened nor of the experimentation that had taken place years prior, Keisuke willingly offered whatever information his body might have possessed, still scorned by the betrayal of his friend and village. When their few tests bore no helpful results, however, Keisuke was brought before the Third Hokage in order to determine what was to be done with him. True to Hiruzen's rumoured kindness, he offered Keisuke a choice of whether he would return to Sunagakure or remain within Konohagakure, stating that he could not ensure the child's safety if he chose the former. In light of the actions taken against him, Keisuke pleaded to remain within the Leaf Village, swearing an oath of loyalty under the condition that it was not abused as it had been before. With the threat of Shukaku's remnant chakra gone, he was granted his request, and the next time he went to the battlefield, he presented himself as Sunagakure's enemy. In time, Keisuke rewrote the Eye of Ra Seal on his hand after extensive research to instead enhance his genjutsu abilities, and coupled it with a companion seal on his right hand featuring an ankh. This second seal was used to siphon off a large portion of his own chakra to be accessed when he was in dire need. Personality Relatively happy, if not refined, in his childhood, Keisuke did not mind making friends even during the time of war. He cherished his comrades and did all within his power to protect them, unbending in his devotion to his village and its people. However, following Atsuya's betrayal, Keisuke turned bitter and spiteful toward the very place he once considered his home. He allied with Konohagakure more out of vindictive grief than an initial desire to turn against his homeland. He was not exempt from pain upon facing his former comrades in battle, however, and apologized profusely to the memory of the fallen amoungst their corpses after the fact. Following the end of the war, Keisuke experienced an early life crisis, unsure of who he was supposed to be or what his purpose was. The Third Hokage consoled him on this and explained that he was a victim of war who had been mistreated by those he had trusted, to which Keisuke responded with philosophical, introspective thought for some time. Up until his promotion to the rank of jōnin, Keisuke acted without conviction. He was often and continues to be, on occasion, shunned and persecuted for his previous affiliation with Sunagakure, although that treatment did not seem to affect him so much as the thought that he had nowhere to truly belong. It wasn't until he was assigned a squad of genin that he realized that Hiruzen had fully entrusted him with protecting and nourishing Konohagakure as his own village, unlike the many who still viewed him as the enemy. Steeling his resolve, Keisuke made efforts to regain his sense of self and identity. He gradually became more carefree and took on relaxed, joking mannerisms that eventually allowed others to become more comfortable around him. He proves to be rather shy in some subjects such as the true capacity of his abilities and his body, which he is reluctant to show much of. He still shows hesitation at times when it comes to acknowledging his self-worth and deciding what is best for his team, but he strives to be a role model for his pupils and encourages them to find their own identities. Appearance Moderately tall, Keisuke is shown to be well-toned and physically disciplined. He has tan skin and pale blond hair that is styled into thick dreadlocks that he keeps tied back for the most part. It is only ever seen untied when he is sleeping or it slips out after much physical exertion. His eyes are a rich amber, and are decorated with black, tapered markings on the underside reminiscent of Egyptian make-up. In conjunction with his thin nose and pointed eyebrows, he appears to have sharp features, giving him a feline likeness. A scar resides to the right side of his lips, one he presumably gained during the Third Shinobi World War, and thin scruff grows along his jaw. He wears large, thick red loop earrings and dresses in the standard Leaf jōnin uniform: navy blue underclothes and a dark green vest. However, he lacks a standard forehead protector, opting instead to have the Konohagakure symbol engraved into both of the metal hand guards on his gloves. Abilities Despite his preference for genjutsu, Keisuke is well-versed in both ninjutsu and taijutsu, the latter evidenced by his disciplined physical condition. He has knowledge of basic hand-to-hand combat techniques, but shows a preference for versatile weapons such as kunai and shuriken. Although absent of Shukaku's chakra, he is still occasionally recognized as a Pseudo Jinchūriki by those who recall the events of the Third Shinobi World War. He is listed in some bingo books and possesses a fairly high bounty for his head to be returned to Sunagakure. Even so, he is lauded as a war hero and respected as a veteran by select few of Konohagakure who are more accepting of his change in loyalties. Ninjutsu When worse comes to worst, Keisuke does have an arsenal of ninjutsu at his disposal if his primary strategy falls through. As a former Sunagakure shinobi, he has some knowledge of puppetry by use of chakra threads. However, his skill in this is far inferior to that of fūinjutsu, his secondary specialty next to genjutsu. While having no knowledge of sealing techniques before defecting to Konohagakure, and in fact being prohibited from learning of such for fear of his breaking the Eye of Ra Seal, he dedicated many hours to studying fūinjutsu in order to rewrite the seal on his left hand and create the seal on his right hand. He makes frequent use of seals to aid him in battle, wherein he mostly relies on weaponry unique to his skillset. Nature Transformation Keisuke possesses both Earth and Wind Release common of those who hail from the Land of Wind, as well as Yin Release in accordance to his genjutsu prowess. With Earth Release, he can perform a variety of jutsu known to Sunagakure shinobi, such as Earth Release: Sand Dance, and he can combine his Wind and Yin Releases to execute the Wind Release: Sand Cloud Whirlwind. He often incorporates sand-based ninjutsu into his genjutsu, most commonly in conjunction with Curse Sealing: Mummy Tomb, wherein he seals the target's consciousness and proceeds to entrap them in a real tomb of sand. Genjutsu His strongest virtue, genjutsu is what Keisuke excels in above all else. He highly prefers illusory techniques over physical techniques due to their passive nature which allows him to incapacitate his target(s) without causing unnecessary harm, unless the specific technique being employed is apt to cause psychological damage. In addition to visual illusions, Keisuke wears specially-made gloves with chakra amplifiers on each fingertip, which he uses with his Wind Release to control fluctuations in the air, thus creating audible genjutsu. He controls the fluctuations via subtle movements of his fingers; the result is akin to an ominous thrum that invokes unwarranted anxiety within the target. Stats Part I Prologue — Masquerade Infiltration Team Keisuke is sent to infiltrate a masquerade ball in the Land of Tea to protect important guests. wip. Chunin Exams wip. Konoha Crush wip. Uncovering the Mystery Irie and Ikuto discover the truth about Seri Moriyama's and Seiji Sasaki's deaths. wip. Land of Snow Escort Mission Team Keisuke is tasked with escorting a nine-months pregnant woman to her sister's abode on the other side of a perilous mountain range. wip. Escape Mikazuki's Shrine On the way back from the Land of Snow, they lose their way and end up at the mysterious Shrine of Mikazuki, where strange phenomena begin to occur. wip. Interlude wip. Part II Yugakure Protection Mission Team Keisuke is assigned as a guard squad for a Yugakure caravan and they inadvertently learn information about the missing-nin and Akatsuki member Hidan. Later they relax at a hot spring resort. wip. Person of Interest wip. Pain's Assault wip. Five Kage Summit wip. Fourth Shinobi World War wip. Trivia * The name "Keisuke" means "kindness" and "help", while his family name "Rikimaru" means "sphere of strength". * According to the Databook(s): ** Keisuke's hobby is knitting. ** Keisuke wishes to fight the Third Kazekage. ** Keisuke's favourite food is sukiyaki, while his least favourite food is tonkatsu. ** Keisuke's favourite term is "Self-reflection" (反省, Hansei). Category:DRAFT